I was held at Straight in Atlanta from 1982-1984. I was one of the kids taken to the bathroom and beaten. There were 5 guys, 3 of which I believe were brothers, that took me to the bathroom. Those 3 guys were huge and they looked like they were from Samoa. They had come to the program directly from prison. I can't remember how long they had me in there, but I know it was for hours. They pushed, shoved, hit, kicked,screamed, cussed, and at one point, one of the brothers lifted me up off the floor by my throat and threw me to the ground. All of this going on at the instructions of Mr Buttimer, who was in there the entire time. He wanted me to say I was a druggie and then it would all stop. I refused to say it and they continued to abuse me. When it finally stopped, they had to carry me out. I never did say it because it was never true. I was one of the lucky siblings who got thrown in while interviewing to be able to see my older brother. He had been kidnapped by my parents and their friends and brought to Straight about a month before. I had smoked pot and drank on occasion, but in no uncertain terms was I a drug addict. I readily admitted the times I had smoked pot and drank, because the times were so few, it wasn't that big of a deal (I thought!) Little did I know how wrong I was. The girl's interviewing me let me know I wasn't going anywhere. Then the director, Mr Tilley and my parents came in to tell me that I was staying in the program. I went ballistic...I started screaming, crying and begging my parents not to leave me, but I went unheard. My parents had been told that if they didn't put me in the program, they would kick my brother out. Well, that was that. I was sacrificed for my brother sake. Thus started my 2 1/2 year nightmare in that place. I have rarely talked about my time there and have actually pushed it out of my mind every time I think of it. That has worked fairly well up until now. I was 16 years old when I was left there and 18 when I got out. I am now 43 years old and have cried about this place for the past 4 days. For some reason, it is impossible to ignore the "flashbacks" as I have been doing for so long. I feel like a dark cloud has desended upon me and i can't get the memories out of my head. I have seen a couselor for depression and for anxiety attacks, but I have never even told him about my time at Straight. I have a very hard time talking about it. This is the first time I have ever tried to contact anyone from Straight. I appreciate you leaving a message. I have been searching for Atlanta people the past few days, but there are not that many. Please feel free to contact me.
